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5th Anniversary Giveway Day 2, with some reminiscences

The image that I used in my first page design banner. I still love it.

During this giveaway week, I thought I'd indulge myself by sharing some reminiscences about the past five years of Just Hungry. Today: Why I started the site.

I've always been obsessed with food on many levels, and I've also been blogging since about 1998 or so. This was back when blogs were still pretty obscure. One day I wrote a couple of things on my 'weblog'; one about a visit to one of the first Apple Stores in New Jersey, one about a wierd/funny dinner experience. My 'weblog' post about the Apple Store somehow got discovered by an Apple fan forum. Many of the forum commenters disagreed with my opinion, and then proceeded to make vicious remarks about the rest of my site. I shouldn't have bothered about these anonymous opinions, but they really stung me. I wasn't used to it. So, soon after I deleted my whole site contents, dumped the homebrewed weblogging system I was using (that I really regret) and for a while my personal site was a stark Under Construction page.

Then in 2003, I installed a spanking new copy of Movable Type and started writing again. By this time of course blogs were much more mainstream, and there were far more self-indulgent, navel-gazing blogs out there than my 'weblog' ever had been. My intention with my personal site was to give myself freedom to write about whatever I liked. I'd written a book (about CSS and Javascript) a couple of years prior, which was extremely restricted in terms of everything from content to format; this had really drained me mentally and physically, and for a while robbed me of the desire to do any kind of writing. So my blog was going to get my writing mojo back.

But yet...I couldn't seem to get out of the safe place of talking mostly about web-geeky stuff. I still loved to write, but I couldn't get out of a box I'd built around myself. Then, I somehow got a discount coupon for a new hosted blogging service called Typepad. Somewhat on a whim, I decided to start up a blog there and make it all about food. I called it I Was Just Really Very Hungry, after the title of one of M.F.K. Fisher's essays (more about my admiration for M.F.K.Fisher).

I dove into the food blog without any kind of planning. Designing the site was easy for me (since I did that for a living). Content wise...I just wrote about the food I loved. Most of my early posts had a less than stellar one or simply no photo at all. (Food blog photography was not nearly as sophisticated, not to mention competitive, as it is now.) I didn't really plan to make it a blog mostly about Japanese food either. But, since I am Japanese and I love Japanese food, that aspect of it gradually evolved.

There have been ups and downs, but five years later...it's still here!

Please check the giveaway rules in the first post. Do try to remember to keep it to one comment per item/entry, thanks! Remember: You need to give me your email address (in the email entry area) where I can contact you if you win, your name (or nickname), and your location (country).

Saisai Gohan (菜菜ごはん) is a vegan Japanese cookbook by one of my favorite cookbook authors in any language, Yumiko Kano. I've referred to her works several times (a listing of several of her books) and she is one of my biggest inspirations when I want to cook healthy, tasty vegan Japanese food. She's published several books on the same theme, but Saisai Gohan (which means 'vegetable meal') is the starting point.

All the recipes in Saisai Gohan are dairy and egg free. They do not use traditional dashi, but rely on the natural flavors and sweetness of the vegetables she uses (she doesn't always add things like mirin or sake either, unlike most other Japanese cookbooks). Maple syrup or amazake are used as sweeteners, especially in her dessert recipes. It is not gluten-free since she does use wheat flour, seitan and fu, though many of the recipes are gluten-free. It even has desserts!

Please note that this is in Japanese, and does not come with a translation, so some knowledge of Japanese is useful; although there's a clear photograph for each recipe, there are no step-by-step photos.

DEADLINE: Your comment/entry must be posted before Midnight Greenwich Mean Time on Friday, December 5th.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for participating! Be sure to check out the front page for the giveaways still open. The winner will be announced next week!

Really nice to know the background of your blog, which I really enjoy reading. There is so much to find, and you are so knowledgeable... the book looks really interesting (and the Nigella we can buy ourselves can't we?) Keep on posting Makichan!

I just wanted to say that that banner picture was one of my favorites, too. I still find it amazing that if we hadn't both started on TypePad, I would have never been a loyal reader of yours, and would have never ventured as far into blogworld (and foodblogworld, for that matter) as I have.

A Japanese cookbook! I love looking at the pictures even if I don't always know exactly what the recipes say. That about-to-whisk-eggs image is amazing! I like how everyday things can always be seen in a different light.

I am a relatively new reader to your blog so I was not aware of the author until now. I just read a few of the reviews on amazon, looks like I may have to pick up one or two of her books while I am in Japan over the new year.

It is too bad that your first blog made you upset due to those nasty commenters. When talking about computers and other popular electronics you are dealing with a lot of people who think their opinion is right about them. I am glad you came to blog about food, because I feel that everyone truly appreciates you. I would hate to read mean comments on the bottom of these pages ! Anyway, that cookbook looks so good. Even if I didn't win, I would find books from that author. Me and my boyfriend were vegetarian for 3 years, and during that time he wanted to make Japanese food, but felt limited by the amount of recipes he knew- because they only contained meat and fish. So, thank you for this site, because there really is so much information here ! ^^

It is too bad that your first blog made you upset due to those nasty comm enters. When talking about computers and other popular electronics you are dealing with a lot of people who think their opinion is right about them. I am glad you came to blog about food, because I feel that everyone truly appreciates you. I would hate to read mean comments on the bottom of these pages ! Anyway, that cookbook looks so good. Even if I didn't win, I would find books from that author. Me and my boyfriend were vegetarian for 3 years, and during that time he wanted to make Japanese food, but felt limited by the amount of recipes he knew- because they only contained meat and fish. So, thank you for this site, because there really is so much information here ! ^^

Hello. May you enjoy many more happy anniversaries. I'm a British-born woman living in the USA who travelled in Japan several times on business in the 1990's. How delighted I was to be introduced to bento boxes. (My father had been in India so I also knew about tiffin lunches.) With the beautiful Bento book, perhaps I would be able to bring back happy tastes and memories.

I can't say why, but the elegance of this book reminded my of my Grandmother (who was Polish, not Japanese). She always managed to set an elegant table, even if all we were eating was cream cheese and honey on toasted pumpernickel bread (still one of my favorites!).

I'm glad you came back to blogging and didn't let that early setback stop you - you were just ahead of your time.

For some reason my first try didn't show up. I was rambling on how this elegant book reminded me of my Grandmother. She could set an elegant table anytime, even if we were only eating cream cheese and honey on toasted pumpernickel bread!

I'm so sorry those jerks had to ruin your experience for you the first time around. I'm a computer geek too but sometimes the technophiles are the just cruel and stupid if you disagree with whatever their holy grail is. It reminds me of the time one of my friends started screaming and then refused to speak to me over which text editor I was using!

Anyway, back to food, you are responsible for my having discovered Yumiko Kano's works, and I'm so grateful. That book looks awesome.

I stumbled upon your blog when I was doing my first wave of food blog collecting and it's one of the few that I actually read consistently. As you said about writing blogs (or in general), it can take quite a bit of skill if you want to do a good job. One thing that I've noticed is length and frequency: readers lose interest sometimes if it rambles too far from anything a reader can relate to, and are similarly lost if there aren't enough posts because it disappears from our sphere of ... attention/awareness(?)

I think what I loved most was the international nature: Japanese, with full mastery of other languages (just something I look for all the time), living in a country that doesn't necessarily cater to your heritage's diet. I remember one of the first posts I read from your blog was about language - that you don't feel one is really fluent until you dream in a language, and I have to say, I have yet to find anyone else who has articulated that better.

I haven't followed you since you began, but from what you describe years ago, you've definitely become a delight to read (and get ideas for meals from) - all 3 of your blogs.

And I'm from Vancouver/Toronto, Canada - since I'm a student, I go back and forth.

Have a great holiday and hope you have time to keep blogging despite all the busy celebrations!

Weblog readers out there can be pretty harsh! I keep a private-ish online journal too. But really how "private" can you make it (short of putting in a password) when it's accessible to just about anyone with an internet connection? I'm glad you got back into blogging though... cos if you hadn't, I wouldn't have the opportunity to discover all the wonderful Japanese foods I can cook at home! The recipe book is in Japanese but I think I may know enough to get by... I hope... fingers crossed

I should check this book for sure. Once I´ve heard that it is very difficult to be vegetarian in Japan... because most of food includes fish, fish stock etc. Well, I disagreed (and told that they just don´t know how to prepare it ;)) .

I really have wanted a Japanese vegetarian cookbook for some time. It would really be great to learn what to order next time I'm in Japan. This may just inspire me to learn some Japanese just yet. Thanks for sharing with us. Best wishes!

Hi Maki,
I found some chapters on the Gourmet site of MFK Fisher's writings that have never been published. I can't find it any more on the site but I do have it in Word form. Send me a private email and I'll mail it to you.

I went to a techie chat that was so busy, the screen rolled pretty quickly. I noticed someone asking incredibly stupid and weird questions about easy tech stuff, and figured he was trying to bait someone. I decided to play, and answered some of his questions in an equally stupid way.

No other chatters had noticed his questions were weird, but they certainly noticed my weird responses, and jumped all over me. I had to type: "scroll up and read his earlier questions", a few times before some of them caught on to my game, and joined in the fun.

My experience with 'techies gone mean' was fun, but it was also a very good lesson: tread carefully, because they turn vicious pretty quick.

Your other contest for the Japanese book I can get by just looking at the photos, but this one requires reading, so leave me out of this one.

I am vegetarian, I have learn many Japanese food culture from you and cooked the food with your recipes, also I got inspired from your recipe to cook difference vegetarian food. I can enjoy traditional Japanese homemade food, variety and elegant taste in vegetarian dishes everyday. My boyfriend (European) also turned to be vegetarian, eat rice, miso soup and tofu with me after I cooked with your recipes. And I have done カレー, 自家製豆腐 and 自家製納豆 successfully.
幸福感動 :'D
Thank you very much.
ありがとうございます。
頑張ってください。

It's a good thing I finally got around to taking Japanese then. Pretty sure this might finally motivate me to break out my kanji book and actually start reading practical japanese instead of just keeping with my rhetoric books. ^ ^

Please don't laugh -- I remember the first hot dog I ever ate. It was at the seaside (Mablethorpe) and it was a REAL sausage with floral-sweet fried onions in a long roll, split. I was five. To this day, it is gratifying to eat fried onions. Hope I win. Nice way to make a new, linked memory! Elaine, USA

What a beautiful book! I'm a vegetarian and my fiance and I are both learning Japanese. This book could get exciting! I've always turned to your site to find delicious vegetarian foods, and you've never let me down!

Well, this is the first comment I've put on your site, and (even without the contest) I'll make sure this isn't the only one. I've really enjoyed the various type of food that you have posted. Just being curious, but do you have any from Okinawa? To be honest, I haven't had a chance to go through everything yet but I don't remember seeing anything.

hi maki!
i am glad you started this food blog and i love it because it features japanese food, healthy food, and loads of veggies. really useful for a foreigner living in japan. your giveaways get better everyday! :D thank you!
-banana
-japan

Your blog is a wonderful read for hungry souls. I first stumbled across it because of your entries on Provence. I love how you manage to find all the good food in so many places, and now, I enjoy reading all the recipes, especially the vegetarian/vegan ones, since I am a vegetarian myself. Thanks for the marvelous sharings and Happy Anniversary! Keep the gems coming!

I actually wanted to comment on the Nigella Lawson page, and as it is 8.05am Friday 5th here in New Zealand was fairly sure it couldn't be after midnight Thursday 5th GMT, but that post is closed for comments already. Sniff.

I do enjoy your blog Maki, and have got quite into the habit of Bento boxes in winter. And a collection of the boxes. It is summer now and I am dieting, so I am eating vast quantities of calorie-almost-free foods such as lettuce and capsicum and suchlike that don't fit into bentos.

... I've been thinking about buying this cookbook. It looks delicious (and innovative, and of course vegan is a plus for feeling your best!)

Anyway, I also wanted to say, thank YOU for having these blogs! I stumbled onto it about six months ago, and have been an avid reader since. Your blog was also the first food blog I really read-- and it's stayed my favorite one, the more I read them (still the most entertaining, unpretentious, informative and useful one I've encountered).